The present invention relates to a method and system for routing agent programs through a communications network. The invention may be applied to communication networks such as the Internet which uses the Internet Protocol.
The Internet Protocol is used for transmitting data communication packets over a network of participating digital communication networks. The operation of the Internet Protocol is described in standard reference works which are generally available. The Internet is a global network of networks which operates according to the Internet Protocol and runs with a decentralized management.
The Internet includes local area networks and long haul public networks which allow packets to be communicated between the local area networks. The packets are transmitted between nodes in the network to sites each of which has a unique local network address. A data communication packet can be launched into the Internet from a user site via an access node connected to the Internet. The packet is forwarded through the network nodes to any target site connected to the network provided that the site address of the target site is included in a header of the packet.
Each packet communicated over the Internet is routed via a path which is determined by gateways and servers which switch the packet according to the target address and the availability of a network path to connect to the target site.
With the rapid growth of the Internet as a source of information and services, the selection of sites to be targeted for collection and understanding of information has become orders of magnitude more difficult. In an attempt to solve this, intelligent agent programs have been employed to interrogate and move from site to site within the Internet and procure services for the user. In order to do this the agent needs a list of destination sites that offer the service that is required. The user has to provide in the agent program a list of the sites to visit, or target a directory of valid sites from which to obtain the addresses of the sites to be visited. Alternatively, the agent program may move randomly.
The current attempts to use intelligent program agents result in an inefficient search pattern or an extended search time.
The present invention aims to provide an improved method and system for addressing program agents within a communications network.
According to the present invention, there is provided a communications network comprising a plurality of interconnected network sites, and switching means to route agent programs through the communications network by reference to site addresses included in a site visit address list carried by each agent program, wherein the network has a network site which includes;
an address registry;
and data processing means programmed to collect site address information in the address registry from visiting agent programs and further programmed to insert site address information from the registry into the visit address list of succeeding agent programs which visit the site.
The present invention also provides a method of routing agent programs through a communications network comprising a plurality of interconnected network sites, and switching means to route the agent programs through the communications network by reference to site addresses included in a site visit address list carried by each agent program, the method comprising the steps of;
collecting and registering site address information from the address lists of agent programs visiting a site in the network;
and inserting such address information in the visit address list of succeeding agent programs which visit the site.